COVID-19: UK's new worrisome variant under investigation

Public Health Authority in England is Investigating various cases of new worrisome variant found in various region across the United Kingdom.

According to BBC, the new test show the variants have a mutation, called E484K, that is already seen in the South Africa variant. 

Experts have claimed that the current vaccine should be effective against the new mutants even though their is a chance that they may be resistance to the vaccine.

With urgent tests ongoing in England as regards the variants found in South Africa, other regions where the variants are found in England may follow suit.

Scientists working with Public Health England found a small number of cases of the UK 'Kent' variant with the E484K mutation - it was seen in 11 out of 214,159 samples that they tested, and predominantly from the South West of England.

There is fear that the number of Covid-19 with E484K mutation that have been discovered is less than they might be available. The Liverpool area has seen 32 cases of original coronavirus that have the E484K mutation too.

It's not unexpected that variants are appearing or that they will continue to change - all viruses mutate as they make new copies of themselves to spread and thrive.

Dr Julian Tang, a virus expert at the University of Leicester, described the finding as "a worrying development, though not entirely unexpected".

According to him, what is important is that people follow the preventive measures put in place against Covid-19 to prevent further mutation of  the virus.

"Otherwise not only can the virus continue to spread, it can also evolve," she said, noting that allowing its spread will be a "melting pot" for different emerging variants.

The new variant is researched to be more deadly and more resistant to antibodies, as the E484K may help the virus evade parts of the immune system.

However, early result from Moderna suggest its vaccine is still effective against variants with this mutation - although the body's immune response may not be as strong or prolonged as it could be against Covid-19.

No matter cases, the only effective way to curtail its spread and to avoid further mutation is to adhere to the measures such as washing your hands, keeping your distance from other people and wearing a face covering will still help prevent infections.